Former Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa said he will retire from public life when he turns 79 in October of this year.

The Nobel Peace laureate said the time has come to slow down and spend more time with his family.

"The time has now come to slow down, to sip Rooibos tea with my beloved wife in the afternoons, to watch cricket, to travel to visit my children and grandchildren, rather than to conferences and conventions and university campuses," Tutu said.

Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, then used his new international stature to step up the campaign against apartheid. The bishop was ever-present during the turbulent final years of apartheid and the ensuing transition to majority rule.

He also know for celebrating the diverse cultures of South Africa by labeling it the "Rainbow Nation of God."